


Operation: His Secret

by Blyssabella



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gen, Just SOME whump, Mystery, Secrets, Webby's new mystery, Whump, is Dewey Duck, lots of duck angst, slight Debbigail
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21880969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blyssabella/pseuds/Blyssabella
Summary: Something was off about Dewey Duck... Webby just knew it, but what could it be? Was it some illness? Was it some dark family secret? She WOULD find out...
Relationships: Dewey Duck/Webby Vanderquack
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	1. Prologue

Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the nephews of Donald Duck, moved in a few months ago! Scrooge started adventuring again, and he's taking us on adventures with him! The adventures are super awesome! The future is looking up, especially for me! The triplets are my first friends ever, and they seem to like me despite me being so weird. I've learned a lot about them as well!

Huey is the oldest triplet. He's part of the Junior Woodchucks, and he treats the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook as a religious item. Any problem he has, he can solve with his JWG. If we're stuck in a cave, then he'll whip out his book and look up how to survive a cave-in. He enjoys being orderly and calm, but he can become hot-headed at times. For some reason he always wears red. All the triplets have a specific colour actually. Huey, red; Dewey, blue; and Louie, green.

Speaking of Louie, he's the youngest triplet. He can con his way out of any situation. I guess that's some kind of superpower that all younger siblings have, I'm not really sure. He enjoys riches and treasures untold, but hates the adventure part. He's invested into his phone, and the TV for the most part. Even though he seems like he doesn't care, he actually really loves his family. It's there; just hidden.

As for Dewey, he's practically my best friend already! He taught me how to harmonize, and it's really fun. He also loves adventure and mystery just about as much as I do! He'll jump headfirst into any danger, but he doesn't exactly plan ahead. He's actually pretty sweet though, he always tries to include me in everything even if it's just normal kid stuff. He does become a little quiet sometimes, and it seems really odd for his type of personality. Something seems off about Dewey Duck . . .

About three weeks after the triplets moved in, Dewey disappeared. I looked in his room, the kitchen, the living room, and all the dangerous stairwells that he likes to do tricks on. I couldn't find him anywhere. I remember going up to Huey and Louie, asking where Dewey was. They didn't seem alarmed at all that their brother had gone missing. It was so strange . . . Huey told me not to worry about it, and that Dewey would be back eventually.

And true to his word, Dewey came back within a few days. He looked exhausted, and was more quite than normal. Other than that he acted as if nothing had happened. I asked him where he'd went, and he avoided the question by dragging me into doing crazy stunts. Dewey is an amazing friend, but I'm really worried about him.

Since then he's disappeared a few more times, and sometimes it's only for a few hours or a week. I don't know what's going on. Everybody is acting like it's so normal. Well except for my granny. She tried to ask about it as well, but Huey just said "He's fine. He'll be back."

I never knew he meant that literally . . .


	2. Symptoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Webby has been paying way more attention to Dewey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: There is gonna be some gross throwing up and stuff in this chapter

**Operation His Secret**

**LOG 04.09.17**

Technically my first entry in this journal! I'm so determined to figure out my next mystery, Dewey Duck. After my overview, I've paid more attention to what Dewey does these past few days. His disappearances have been happening more and more frequently. Fortunately, I've been able to compile a list of weird things Dewey has done these past few weeks.

**MARCH 28, 2017.**

I walked into the living room, looking for Dewey as “Ottoman Empire” came on. Louie cracked open his can of Pep and laid back. His focus was entirely on the large TV screen until I came in. He looked over.

“Hey, Webs,” Louie sighed, “wanna watch Ottoman Empire with us? I recorded all the reruns.”

I looked over at Huey who seemed more immersed into his JWG rather than the show. 

“Have you guys seen Dewey?” I asked, curiously. Huey and Louie gave each other a shared look. Worry was on their features, but Huey forced a smile.

“He’s fine. He’ll be back eventually.”

That was the answer I always got when Dewey disappeared, a forced smile and a lie. They wouldn’t help me find Dewey; I knew this for sure. I just nodded, and the two boys seemed satisfied at that and went back to their previous activity. I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the living room.

I walked towards the back of the mansion where all the rooms were empty. I had already checked the triplets’ bedroom, the air vents, and the garage. It was as if Dewey had disappeared from reality.  It was what led me to ask the brothers about Dewey in the first place, and it’s what led me to check the empty guest bedrooms, extra living rooms, and broom closets throughout the uninhabited part of the mansion. 

I walked into an extra bedroom. Everything was perfectly made, just like how Granny liked it. I walked over to the perfectly made bed and looked under it; no blue clad duckling. I moved onto the closet which was, expectedly, empty. I checked the nooks and crannies of the room, but there was still no Dewey Duck. I sighed and walked out of the spare bedroom. I looked up as I closed the door and I spotted the blue clad duckling turning a corner. I smirked. _Got him._

“Dewey!” I called out as I caught up with him. Dewey skidded to a stop and snapped his head towards me, eyes wide.

“Uh...,” Dewey looked left and right, eyes hazy. He looked back at me, and then his eye lit up, “hey, Webs!”

_Did… Did he just forget who I was…?_

**MARCH 30, 2017.**

I silently jumped from rafter to rafter, dart gun in hand. I had Dewey Duck in my sights as he ran down the hall, laughing, his own dart gun in hand. He turned around and spotted me in the rafters. He grinned and aimed at me. Each of his darts missed, but it didn’t seem to deter him. I smirked cruelly as I aimed back. Dewey’s eyes widened as he turned around and sprinted out of my range. I jumped from the rafters and gave chase on foot.

Throughout the halls I could hear both our webbed feet hitting the floor. With my sights set on Dewey I aimed as I ran after him. As I prepared to shoot him down, he collapsed onto the ground, holding his stomach. Nausea turned his face green. He attempted to sit up, but only his right arm held him up as he started heaving. I slowed as fast as I could. I stopped at his side as he attempted to expel the contents of his stomach. His stomach seemed to be empty though, as nothing was coming out. I rubbed his back gently.

“Dewey are you okay?!” I questioned, failing to keep the worry out of my voice. “Do you need me to get Uncle Donald or your brothers?”

Dewey’s head shot up towards me as he shook his head quickly which caused him to hunch over and start heaving again. I frowned as I continued to gently try and comfort him. I rubbed his back until the moment passed.

Dewey sat there for a moment after it passed. He started to stand but stumbled. I grabbed his arm to stabilize him. He smiled weakly at me as I helped him stand. I carefully let go of Dewey with a frown.

“Are you okay…?” I asked him, softly. Dewey’s smile faltered before coming back forced.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m okay, Webs,” Dewey then took off down the hall, leaving his dart gun forgotten on the floor. I frowned as he turned a corner and vanished out of sight.

**APRIL 1, 2017.**

I walked towards the kitchen as the aroma of my Granny’s cooking filled the air. As I was about to walk into the kitchen, I heard the voice of Mr. Duck. I peeked into the kitchen and stayed hidden. Granny shuffled around the kitchen preparing pots and pans. She had at least three things cooking on the stove at once. She did all this while listening to Mr. Duck.

“… I just need to make dinner for my boys.”

“Well, Donald, as you can see the kitchen is occupied,” Granny said, shortly. Donald sighed in irritation.

“I have to follow a special diet for the boys,” Donald stated. Granny raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, “they’ve been slacking on it recently.”

“Why did you not inform me of their diet?”

Donald rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I really didn’t want you to go out of your way when I could have easily made it.”

Granny rolled her eyes. “Of course. Donald, when I said this was MY house; I meant it. You can make the boys their meal THIS time, but next time you’re going to inform me of their diet so I can make a meal for them.”

Donald just nodded, gratefully.

***

I sat down at the dinner table in-between to Mr. McDuck, who was at the head of the table, and Granny, who was to the right of me. In front of me there were three empty seats where the triplets would sit. Their dinner place was empty of plates. Donald hummed as he set three bowls down with a nutritional salad inside. There were seeds and different types of vegetation. It was not something I would have thought the triplets would eat.

None of the boys seemed to appreciate their uncle’s effort. The triplets walked in and as soon as Dewey spotted the meal, he let out an irritated groan.

“Not this meal again!” Dewey exclaimed, “Uncle Donald, I thought that my diet was over…”

Donald sighed sadly and shook his head, “you know we have to stick to the diet, Dewey…”

Dewey turned his irritated glare towards the floor. His brothers sat down, dejectedly, in their seats. We all waited for Dewey to take his seat. Dewey stubbornly stood there for a moment until Mr. Duck cleared his throat. Dewey sighed and joined his brothers at the dinner table. I looked across the table at Dewey as he poked at his salad.

_Why would Dewey be on a diet…?_

**BACK TO LOG 04.09.17**

That’s all for today. So far, I’ve noticed a few stranger things. Dewey was confused, he was nauseous, and he had to keep up a certain diet. There were a few more instances where he acted out, but they were pretty much the same as the ones that I listed. I’m really worried about my best friend… I wish he’d just tell me what’s wrong…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! ^^
> 
> Hopefull your comments will drive me to finish this.


	3. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Webby chases Dewey down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! This took WAY too long XD I'm sorry for that, but I really wanted this to look good and I just didn't have much time to spend on it. Hope y'all enjoyed! ^^

**Operation: His Secret**

**LOG 04.19.17**

Hey! It's been a while! Something really freaky happened yesterday that I can't explain! No one will explain what's going on, and Dewey is out of commission! I should probably just explain from the beginning. It might help me while I wait for Dewey to wake up.

**APRIL 18, 2017**

As I woke up that morning, I yawned and stretched. Outside the window the birds were singing, and the sun was shining. They were all signs that today was going to be a great day! Smiling, I hopped out of bed and started to change into my clothes. My thoughts started training onto what fun could be had with Dewey today, but then a looming reminder of Dewey's oddity hit me like a train. He'd been hiding away more and more often, so it wasn't likely that he was up to playing death darts. I shook the thought off. Maybe Dewey would be up and ready to play one of their games together, or maybe he wouldn't be but maybe I could finally figure out what was going on. I finished dressing and was pulled down to the dining room by the aroma of breakfast. I smiled at granny as she set up the table. I hopped into my chair and waited for the others to arrive for breakfast.

Mr. McDuck entered with his newspaper and sat at the head of the table. Granny brought him his breakfast as Huey and Louie trudged into the dining room. They sat close to each other at the table and Dewey was missing from them. Granny brought their plates. Breakfast commenced, and I started to eat my pancakes. Huey and Louie, though, didn't start eating. They kept glancing at each other in worry. I soon realized why although it surprised me. Dewey wasn't with them. He always had breakfast with them even if it was a day where Dewey was acting odd. It just surprised me that they seemed so worried about this considering how relaxed they were about it in the past. I rolled my eyes. Of course they'd just NOW be worried, like all the other past events shouldn't be worried over. It didn't really matter; I knew today would be like any other day. Find Dewey Duck.

Soon after finishing my pancakes, I excused myself from the table. I walked out of the kitchen and wandered towards the main living room. On the way there I checked around corners and closets. I stopped in the doorway of the living room. My eyes panned from the TV to the table to the couch. There were no closets or spaces for him to hide, so I moved on. I checked the family room and bedrooms down to the littlest space. I started to become more worried than before. Huey and Louie obviously didn't know where Dewey was… How was I supposed to find him…? Eventually though…

I found him. It… It wasn't him though. Dewey Duck was huddled in a closet near the back of the mansion, shaking and scared. He looked at me like a trapped animal, wild, tense, and so, so terrified. I had never seen this look in his eyes, and it broke my heart.

"Dew…?" I asked softly. Dewey curled further in on himself as he finally took notice of me. His eyes widened and his breathing picked up. I slowly inched towards him. "Dewey are you okay…?"

"Wh-who are you!? And where am I!?" Dewey questioned, his voice shaking. My eyes widened as tears sprung into them.

"Y-you must be joking…" I said, feeling numb. I backed off slightly. "Dewey, don't joke like that!"

"I-I'm not joking! Where are my brothers!?" Dewey's speeding heartbeat made him huff for breath as tears of panic started to spill down his cheeks. "W-where's the houseboat…?"

"Did you hit your head…?" I moved back towards Dewey to check his head. Dewey jerked away from me and bared his teeth.

"G-get away from me!"

"I just want to help you." I tried to assure evenly. Dewey shook his head as if to clear me from his view. As if he thought he was in a bad dream. "Just let me help you."

Dewey shook his head again furiously, then proceeded to push me out of the way and run out of the spare bedroom. I stared after him. How could he not remember me? There didn't seem to be any signs of a concussion.

Dewey shook his head again furiously. His breathing picked up as he soon suddenly jumped up. He pushed me down as he ran out of the closet and towards the front of the house. My eyes widened as he took off. How could he not remember me…? He didn't seem to have a concussion… What was going on!?

I jumped up and started chasing after Dewey. I just ran forward in worry and panic, until I smashed into something or someone. I looked up and saw Huey looking at me strangely.

"You okay, Webs?" Huey asked me and offered his hand.

I took my shaking hand and grabbed his. He helped me up.

"You. You, explain to me what's happening!" I demanded in a panic, "what's wrong with Dewey!?"

"What do you mean…?" Huey asked, his eyes widening, "what happened!?"

"Dewey couldn't remember me! He couldn't remember me, and he couldn't remember the mansion! He was so scared! He didn't know who I was!" I started to cry, "and now I can't find him!"

Huey's eyes filled with fear. "Webby, you have to help me find Dewey!"

Through my tears, I nodded, quickly.

Huey took my hand and started leading me down the winding hallways of the mansion. "I thought… Of course he wasn't taking it. I'm so stupid! I thought it was normal!"

"What are you talking about Huey…?" I gasped through my panicked crying.

Huey shook his head. "We don't have time for that."

Huey stopped at his brothers' room and let go of my hand. Huey opened the door and peeked his head into the room. Louie was laying on his bed staring blankly at his phone. He looked up at Huey and I and his eyes widened. He quickly got up after he noticed the worried looks on our faces.

"Lou! Get Dewey's medicine." Huey said quickly. "Try and find Dewey. We'll call you if we find him."

"Alright. Let's go." Louie said in determination.

Huey and I started searching for Dewey again while Louie got his medicine. Whatever that was for….

Apparently, Huey was much better at finding Dewey than I was. Or maybe it was just lucky because we found Dewey within five minutes. He was wandering down a hallway, looking around at his "strange" environment. He seemed to have calmed down and stopped to touch some vases every once in a while. If granny knew he was doing that, she'd be so upset. He'd mutter under his breath, but we were too far away to hear what he was saying. Huey motioned for me to be quiet and we started to follow Dewey silently. I was sure we'd be caught right away due to our breathing and feet being loud, but Dewey seemed lost in thought as he stared towards the ceiling. We managed to inch closer and closer to Dewey before Dewey suddenly turned and spotted us, his eyes widening in fear.

"H-hue…?" Dewey asked quietly.

"Oh!" Huey yelped in surprise. Huey frowned, but then looked determined.

"Dew… Have you been taking your medicine…?" Huey asked carefully. Dewey took a step back and started shaking his head frantically.

"No… No… No…" Dewey kept repeating and shaking his head. Huey carefully took a step forward, and Dewey stumbled back.

"Dew… Calm down." Huey said softly.

"Y-you're not giving me that stuff! It's evil!" Dewey shouted as he started crying, "she said it's evil!"

He took off down the hall. Huey groaned in irritation.

"I had no idea it was that bad… Come on, Webs, let's go!" Huey started chasing after Dewey and I swiftly followed. Dewey was running towards the back of the mansion and every chance that he got he threw down tables and vases and even curtains just to slow us down! I jumped over glass after he threw a vase at us. Somehow, we both managed to keep sight of him. Ahead I saw Dewey fall over, and I saw a flash of green. Dewey had slammed into Louie! Louie immediately grabbed at his brother to try and hold him there. Dewey seemed to snap as he started slapping and punching Louie just to get away. Louie was holding on pretty well as we approached, but Dewey got a hit on Louie's beak and Louie cried out and let go of Dewey in favor of cradling his bruised and bleeding beak. Dewey dashed off again, and Huey helped Louie up.

"You good, Lou?" Huey asked.

Louie shook his head. "We don't have time for that."

Huey nodded as we started chasing after Dewey again. We had lost sight of him, but the path of destruction led us straight to the back door and into the yard. Dewey was looking towards the fence as if pondering how to climb it.

"We have to get him to take his medicine!" Huey glanced at Louie and I with a determined look and we all nodded. Dewey took notice of us and his eyes widened, and his breathing picked up, but his eyes narrowed with a dangerous ferocity of a wild animal. I knew from our earlier experience that there would be a fight, and this wouldn't be as easy as we'd prefer it to be. That being known, I started to approach first.

"Dewey… I'm not here to hurt you…" I said softly. "I just want to talk. I'm not going to force you to take your medicine."

Dewey relaxed a little but tensed again as a leaf broke under my foot. I stopped carefully.

"Dew… C'mon, why would I hurt you? I don't even know you…" I choked out, "…I have no reason to make you take your medicine."

Dewey started to calm down again and I took a step forward. Dewey didn't do anything, but he was still pretty tense.

"Webby, be careful," Huey warned quietly. I nodded, remembering how Dewey was not afraid to hurt Louie. I edged forward and Dewey backed up. I lunged forward and tried to pin Dewey to the ground, but he scratched at my face and darted away from me. I lightly brushed my fingers against the scratches and when I drew my hand back, I saw smudges of blood of my fingers. My eyes narrowed. I knew that Dewey wasn't in his right mind, but that wouldn't stop me from being forceful to get him to take his medicine.

I ran after Dewey, but since there wasn't many places to go, I easily tackled him. He started yelling words incoherently and tried to hit me. He got a few hits to my face before I pinned his arms to the ground. Dewey gave up on his struggling. Huey and Louie caught up to Dewey and I.

"Webs, are you okay!?" Louie asked me.

"I'm fine," I said gruffly. "Just help me."

Huey and Louie held Dewey's arms down and Dewey suddenly started struggling again. Louie threw the medicine at me.

"You have to make him take it!" Louie said, urgently. I quickly searched the medicine bottle for how many he was supposed to take. I saw the name of the medicine by glance, Trifluoperazine. It wasn't a name I recognized. I could research that later. The dose was once per day. I opened it and took out a pill as Dewey continued to struggle. Dewey spotted the pill and immediately closed his beak tight, but at least he stopped struggling. I stared back at him with determination, and he glared back at me. I plugged his nose; he couldn't stay like this forever. Eventually he started gasping for air and I dropped the pill into his mouth. I started to rub at his throat to make him swallow.

As soon as the pill went down, Dewey gave up with struggling, he just laid on the ground, limply. I sat back as I tried to catch my breath. Huey, Louie, and I got up from Dewey. I pulled Dewey up carefully while he stayed limp in my arms. Huey took Dewey's other side as we walked him to his bed. Dewey acted as a dead weight as we dragged him throughout the halls. Every few minutes I would glace at Huey. His face was grim but determined. The trip ended with no words being spoken. I set Dewey in his middle bunk. He was dozing off already. I turned to Huey.

"What was that!?" I hissed. Huey frowned and looked away.

"It's not for me to say, Webs…" Huey said softly. He clambered up to his brother's bed and sat with him. It was clear he was not going to tell me what was going on.

I walked back to my room with thoughts buzzing through my head. Something was seriously wrong with Dewey, but I had a feeling that it wasn't abnormal for him to act this way.

**04.19.17**

Well… That's all that happened. I should probably look up that medicine now… See you whenever I figure everything out.


	4. The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Webby finds out what happened as well as a little more...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is speak of mental disorders that may not be represented accurately. Read at your own risk. More at the bottom.

**Operation His Secret**

**LOG 04.20.17**

Dewey woke up today and… What happened was kind of crazy…

**APRIL 20, 2017**

**Earlier Today**

I curled in a chair as I thumbed through a book on modern medicine. I started humming as I searched for the medicine that I had forced Dewey to take. So far all I was finding were common everyday medications. I couldn’t find Trifluoperazine anywhere in the book. I sighed in frustration and snapped the book shut.

“Uh… hey, Webs… This a bad time?” Louie asked quietly from the doorway. I jumped as I realized he’d been standing there for a bit.

“Uh! No! It’s fine, I’m fine!”

Louie frowned, but continued anyways, “I just wanted to let you know, Dewey… He’s up if you want to see him.”

I hopped up from my chair and set my book down, gently.

“Of course!”

“Webby, you can’t grill him for answers- not right now-“

I faltered and turned towards Louie. “I know… I won’t…”

Louie knew I had so many questions for Dewey, and who would blame me? But I knew I couldn’t be on his case. I had to support him. He’s my best friend and I won’t let research interfere with that.

Louie nodded at her promise and started to lead her to the triplets’ room. As soon as I entered the room, the first thing I noticed was that there were a mix of red and green blankets strewn across the floor that usually weren’t there. I could only guess that Huey and Louie slept with each other on the floor as they had nearly outgrown the bunk bed themselves. The second thing I noticed was that Dewey was sitting up on Louie’s bed rubbing his eyes. He must have just gotten down from his bed… I glanced back at Louie nervously and he motioned me forward. I nodded and padded over to Dewey as Louie left the room. As Dewey stopped rubbing his eyes, he noticed my presence.

“Oh… Hey Webby-“ Dewey quickly looked away and started hiding in his blue sweater. I raised an eyebrow.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” I reassured him, and Dewey relaxed a bit.

“I’m doing… Good,” Dewey mumbled, “just tired…”

“Yeah I bet so. I’m just glad you’re okay,” I smiled. Dewey smiled back, but then sighed.

“I know you’re just itching to ask so go ahead.”

I frowned and averted my gaze, “…what happened?”

“I expected you to have a lot more questions…” Dewey said, warily. I shook my head and focused my attention on him again. Dewey looked back up at me, frowning. He shifted uncomfortably under my gaze.

“How do I explain this…” Dewey muttered under his breath as he ran his hands through his hair. “I… I have schizophrenia… It’s a disorder that messes with my mind… I forget things and isolate myself if I don’t take my medicine… I see things a lot too… Mostly of Her…”

My heart broke as his voice faltered. I side hugged him, and he hugged me back.

“Even when I’m on my medicine I’m not myself…” Dewey started to cry. I hugged him tighter and rubbed his back.

“Dewey, I doubt that’s true…” I said softly, “You’re sweet and adventurous. You’re always ready for the next problem to solve.”

“It’s not that simple. Sometimes I’m adventurous and sometimes I’m not… I… I just want to be normal…” Dewey sighed and shook his head and removed himself from my hug. “The medicine is better than nothing… I just wish I didn’t have to take medicine to fit in.”

“Dewey...” I teared up. “You’re perfect the way you are...”

Dewey averted his gaze before changing the topic. “But yeah... that’s what happened...”

Dewey curled in on himself. “Any more questions?”

I shook my head softly. “No, I’m not going to do that to you... I’ll let you rest.”

I started to get up when I felt his hand wrap around my wrist. I looked back and Dewey was smiling at me. “Thanks, Webby. For everything.”

I smiled and nodded. He released my wrist and I walked out. I looked over at Louie who was leaning against the wall, playing on his phone. He looked over to share my gaze.

“How’d it go?” Louie asked.

“Better than I expected,” I simply said.

* * *

**LOG 6.3.17**

As the days went on there was no longer a reason to really write in this journal anymore. Nothing else big really happened and I didn’t have to record any thoughts, but last night Dewey told me the story of how he was diagnosed... I’ll let him tell this part.

Ay! It’s me Dewey! Uhm Webby told me to write down how my diagnosis happened. She thought it might help me to start writing down big events in my life and obviously my diagnosis is the biggest... I didn’t realize it at the time, but I do now... It was on a bright and sunny day... My brothers and I were just playing a game of tag...

* * *

**5 years ago**

A 6-year-old Dewey Duck shrieked happily as his brother, Huey, chased after him. Louie was hanging back as he watched his brothers play. Dewey knew that Huey wasn’t as good of a runner as he was, so he was totally confident that he’d win this game and there was no doubt about that.

“ _Dewey...”_

Dewey faltered. That voice... It was the woman’s voice again, but he didn’t know where it came from. He had heard this woman for a long time, but he had never seen her. Who was she? He started to look around curiously hoping to find the mystery woman. He saw the woman just standing there and he surprisingly recognized her... It was his mom! That was his mom from the picture that she and Uncle Donald were in! Had she really come back? Had she been trying to get Dewey’s attention for all this time!? Dewey’s face broke out into a grin as he prepared to run to her, but before he could Huey barreled into him.

Dewey scrambled to get out from under his brother and Louie ran over to see if they were okay. As soon as Dewey was able to right himself, he frantically looked around, but his mom was gone.

“Dewey?” Huey’s worried voice broke through Dewey’s trance as he placed his hand on Dewey’s shoulder. Dewey twisted around; his eyes wide. He backed off from his two worried brothers.

“Did you guys hear that?”

Huey and Louie shared a look, and then shook their heads. Dewey frowned.

“Nevermind... Besides it’s my turn to tag you!”

Louie shrieked as Dewey lunged forward and tagged him, then Dewey started running away while giggling. Louie tried to tag Huey, but he evaded him and started running after Dewey. Louie let out a groan as he followed after the two. Louie chased his brothers around the deck for a few minutes, but he lost Huey somewhere in the shuffle and was currently on Dewey’s tail. The two were giggling, even if Louie lagged behind. Dewey’s vision suddenly shifted and he faltered. He was no longer on the houseboat… He looked left and right, and his head started spinning. A clear city sidewalk was all he could make out.

_“Dewey…”_ Came his mother’s voice again. Dewey looked up to see his mom. His eyes widened happily.

“Mommy!” Dewey cried out, starting to tear up.

The image of Della Duck smiled and beckoned him forward. _“Come here honey!”_

Dewey faltered before running towards her, happily. Before Dewey could make it to his mom, he felt his stomach drop before plunging into the depths of the unforgiving ocean. He struggled to break the surface but kept being pulled below. He saw flashes of his mom laughing hysterically. Dewey was struggling to hold onto the air he had, but he soon gave in to the need to breath. Water entered his already burning lungs as his vision started to darken. The last thing he felt was strong arms pulling him up, and the last thing he was sure he’d see was his mom laughing at him.

* * *

Donald Duck sighed as he and his other two kids sat in a hospital waiting room. He had been able to pull Dewey out of the water just in time. He had expelled the water from Dewey’s lungs, but he stayed out cold. So, Donald had driven his boys to the hospital as quickly as possible for a check-up. How could he have been so stupid? The boys were only 6. Why did he think he could let them walk around on the deck without their life jackets?! Well… He knew why. He always warned them to stay away from the side of the boat and even Dewey had listened to that one thing. They were getting older and smarter and Donald knew that. Before Donald could continue to berate himself, he felt a tug on his blue uniform. He looked down to see the worried, wide eyes of his oldest boy. The whole trip here had been silent. He realized both his oldest and youngest had been crying for their sibling, and rightfully so.

“Unca Donald… Is Dewey gonna be okay..?” Huey whimpered. Donald immediately wanted to die. None of his boys should feel like this or even go through this situation, but he had to put on a comforting smile.

“Of course, he is Huey,” Donald said reassuringly. Donald didn’t totally know that for sure, but he was pretty confident that he had gotten Dewey out in time. It still shouldn’t have happened… “Huey, Louie, how did Dewey fall off the boat?”

Tears started to well up in Louie’s eyes.

“H-he jumped…” Louie said meekly.

“He what!?” Donald squawked in panic.

“H-he started slowly walking to the railing…” Louie explained. “He looked like he saw something, but it wasn’t there… Huey and I called for him, but he ignored us and then he jumped…”

Donald bit his lip. That was actually more troubling than he had originally thought. Now that he thought about it… Dewey had been acting off for a while. He didn’t know how he didn’t see it before as it was painfully obvious to him now. Dewey had seemed a lot less enthusiastic than a month prior. In fact, at times his emotions were misplaced or just plain gone. Dewey had laughed when their first pet fish had died (never again would they have a pet). It had upset Huey and Louie that Dewey had seemed so pleased at what happened. Hours later Donald had found Dewey crying over the late pet. Donald had also noticed Dewey looking towards areas of the house where no one was. Dewey had then proceeded to ask who was there. When Donald confronted him about it, Dewey used the excuse that he thought he heard something. But… It was always ‘who’ and he never asked anyone else if they heard anything… The more Donald thought about it, the more his insides twisted. Something was VERY wrong here. Call it a parent’s intuition, but he just knew.

“Mr. Donald Duck?”

Donald’s head shot up as anxiety rose in his throat. A nurse stood there waiting on him. Donald gulped down his anxiety to see Dewey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes Dewey has schizophrenia. I tried to research this condition as best as possible and I did take some liberties with it. I'm sorry if that offends anyone as I tried to make it seem as real as possible while it still fit into my narrative. If anyone has any critique then please let me know! ^^
> 
> Also this is probably the last "journal format" for this story.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is so short. The next chapter should be up tomorrow. I'm going to try and update every Saturday. (Note the word TRY)


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